Ments



(Model.) l

J. P. HALLBNBEGK. BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.'

Patented May 8, 1883.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. P. HALLENBECK.

BUTTON EoLE ATTAGEMENT EOE SEWING MAGEINES.

No. 277,128. PaJ d May 8,1883.

ssneets-sneen 3.

(Model.)

J. P. HALLBNBEGK. BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT POR SEWING MACHINES. No. 277,128.

Paterltedv May 8, 1883.

Y 02 -INVEN TUR WITNESS/55:

r I R H www L UNTTn STATES Trice..

PATENT JOSEPH P. HALLENBECK, OF NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE NATIONAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF TROY, N. Y.

BUTTON-HOLE ATTACHMENTv FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 277,128, dated May 8, 1883,

Application filed April 16, 1880.

To all nlzom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH P. HALLEN- BECK, formerly of Troy, in the county of liens selaer and State ot' New York, but now of New York city, have invented certain ne7 and useful Improvements in Button-Hole Attachments for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specitication.

This invention is related to that class of at-V to tachments in which the cloth-clamp or workholder is mounted en and impelled from a number of overlying sliding plates, to which vibrating movements are imparted independently, in different directions land at different i5 times, to produce the required movement of the work under the needle-such, forinstance as that shown inPatent No. 252,052, January 10, 1882, to Morris and Hallenbeck, and also in a previous patent, issuedl May 7,1878, to the same parties, N o. 203,287. My present attachment, however, is more especially designed for those machines having a vibrating needle-arm, and for family use, and my in-v vention aims to provide a compact and efficient attachment of this kind, which shall be capable of easy operation and possess ample and convenient means of adjustment, and which also may be attached to the machine without requiring any mutilation or reitting thereof, to which ends the invention embodies a number of novel features, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

ln the drawings annexed, Figure l presents an elevation of the rear side of my improved attachment, Fig. 2, an elevation of the rear end, and Fig. 3 an elevation of the vfront end,

shown in section through the work-holder.v

Fig. 4 is an elevation ofthe front side, with the work-holder, Sto., shown in section. Fig. 5 is a full plan view, and Fig.'6 aplan View shown partly in section, with some ofthe upper parts removed. Fig. 7 is a plan view, partly in section, with the parts shown in the position assumed when the needle is atits highest point. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section of the rear portions of the attachment, taken on thelinezzin Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and l0. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section ot' lower portion of the same at the linesy y in Figs. 6 and l0, the lower open plate ofthe workh older being removed. Fig. 10 is (Model.)

l a transverse section at the line a: :c in Figs. 1,

4, 5, and 8. Figs. 11 and 12 are fragmentaryV sections ofthe ratchet feeding and driving part of the attachment.

In the drawings, a indicates the baseplate of the attachment, which is pret'erably'of rectangular form, as shown, and is attached to the work-plate of the sewing-machine in any suitable manner, with the needle-hole aprop-- erly registered with the needle of the machine. 6o The fabric in Which the button-hole is to be worked, being tirst slit with a hole or cut of the required size, is placed upon the workholding plate or foot b, and is held in place by the cloth-clamp c, which is pivoted at one end, and is normally raised by a spring, but is forced down upon the work by the cam-lever c.V The clamp has a slot or opening amply large for any ordinary-sized button-hole, and its under face is toothed to better hold the fab- 7o ric, while the under foot or holder, b, has a slot sufficiently larger than the clamp to permit the partial projection of the cloth and clamp into the same, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6. In operating on fabrics, however, which 75 do not admit of being thus bent short, the under foot, b, may be detached and the fabric held between the toothed face of the clamp and the base-plate, as seen in Fig. 9. This workholder, however, is substantially the same as 8o heretofore used in similar attachments, and hence forms no part of my present invention, and it is also mounted on and impelled from a number of oversliding plates or slides, according to the principle of the lformer attachments referred to 5 but the mechanism for actuating these slides is partly of a novel character and partly similar to that shown in the patents ot' Morris and Hallenbeck hereinbefore referred to, and said mechanism forms the subject ot' 9o the present application as hereinafter claimed.

Now, d indicates the lower sliding plate ot' the series, which rests upon the base-plate a, and is capable only of a sliding movement or reciprocation longitudinally of the base-plate and transversely of the button-hole..

e indicates the intermediate or change7 plate, which rests upon the former, and is also capable of sliding in a similar direction, but

independentiyof the under plate. roo

findicates the upper slide, to which the workholder is directly connected, and which is guided in transverse ways on the change-plate c, and is thus capable of moving transversely from side to side thereon and parallel to the length of the button-hole, but at right angles to the movement of the under plates. The movement imparted to the slidefis hence the feed motion,77 and is a continuous step-bystep movement from one side of the changeplate to the other, so as to make the stitches at proper distance along each longitudinal edge of the button-hole. rlhe motion imparted to the change-plate is the change motion,77 which occurs only at each end of the button-hole, to shift or change the stitching from one side of the hole to the other, while the motion imparted to the under plate, d, is the overseaming motion, and is a constant reciprocation,which so shifts the button-hole transversely under the needle as to cause the needle to rst enter the slot and thcn the margin of the cloth, so as to produce the overseaming or over-edge stitch upon the edge of the button-hole, as will be readily understood. Now, the mechanism by which these movements areimparted to the several slides is driven from the vibrating arm of. the sewing-machine by the small pitman g, which is of proper length and curve tosuit the machine for which this attachment is intended,as seen best in Figs.2 and 3. The pitman is connected with the arm by a clamp, h, which embraces the same, and is held thereto by a binding-screw, h', the bearing-point of which iscushioned by a washer, h2, of leather or similar material, as seen in Fig. 3. The actuated end of this pitman has ajointed connection with this clamp by means ot' a spherical eye, which fits freely on a spherical enlargement on the screw It, as seen in Fig. 3, thus .forming a ball-and-socket joint. The lower end of this pitman connects by a species of universaljoint,g, (shown best in Figs. 5, 7,and 8,) to one arm of a double-armed driving-hub, t, which is mounted loosely on the spindle k, between a tine-toothed ratchet-wheel, Z, keyed on the end of this spindle, and a cylindrical cam, m, loose on the spindle. This spindle forms the main driving-spindle ot' the attachment, and is supported about midway of its lengthin a bearing, k', rising from the bed-plate u, andis tted/witha milled knob, k2, on its outer end, by which the spindle may be turned by the hand when required to bring the mechanism to anydesired position. rlhe upper arm of the driving-hub t' carries two pawls, n a', one of which, n,engages with the tine ratchet-wheel l,

and the other, n', with wide ratch et-teeth on a projecting ratchet-rim, on', on the cam m. The pawl n of the ratchet-wheel l is, however, out of engagement therewith during the main portion of its stroke, as it rides over the raised edge of a disk, o, which is mounted loosely on the spindle 7c, close to the ratchet-wheel, and is indented with a notch, o', which, by turning the disk slightly one way or the other,

may be so placed as to cause the pawl n to fall into engagement with the ratchet-wheel sooner or later toward the end of its stroke, so as to move the ratchet the distance ot` one or more teeth', as may be required in regulating the feed of the button-hole relative to the in Figs. 10 and 11, a spring on this screw serving to press the disk -in the opposite direction and take up the slack of the screw. The' other pawl, a', however, isin constant engagement with the ratchet-rim m of the* cam m.,

land the teeth of this ratchet-rim correspond in number to the inclines or changes of the cam,

The disk is thus adjusted by turning and the impulse imparted to the driving-piti man and the pawls is sufficient to move the cam the distance of one tooth and one incline at each active stroke, while the ratchet-wheel l is moved but asmall fraction of this distance, or equal to one or a few teeth, at the same time. ver m2, which is connected to the lower slide or plate, d, by the small pitman m3, and thus imparts to this plate a regular reciprocation during the operation ofthe machine, thus producing the overseaming motion at the buttonhole. The step-by-step feed motion, however, is produced by the movement of the ratchetwheel Z, which is coupled to an intermediate shaft, @provided with a pinion, p', which meshes with a gear-wheel, i', and this wheel has a projecting crank-pin, fr', which works in a slotted upright, j", on the slidef, aud thus moves this slide and its attached work-holder transversely back and forth on the changeplate e -with a step-by-stcp movement, which produces the longitudinal or feed movement of the button-hole. rEhis large crank or gearwheel i' is carried by aA shaft, r2, supported in a bearing, r3, which is mounted on the under or reciprocating slide, d, and on said shaft is alsoA yied a cylindrical cam, s, having two changes orinclines which produce the change77 movement by means ofthe short lever s', pivoted on a lug projecting :from the bearing ot' the shaft r2, and connected by the pitman s2 with the change-plate e. The lever s' of the change-cam s and the lever m2 of the overseaming-cam m are each slotted where their respective pitmen connect, and are provided with projecting milled-headed screws, which are engaged with said slots, and by loosening the screws and setting the same higher or lower in the slot and again tightening them the stroke of the respective movements will bc adjusted as required. The crank-pin r is adjustable in a slot in the wheel i' to suit the length of the button-hole, and the nut o2 regulates the feed or the fmeness of the stitch along the length of the button-hole by the means already described.

It will therefore be observed that in this attachment all the motions have ample means of adjustment, and, moreover, the adjusting- Now, the cam m actuates the short le- IOO IIO

knobs project in a prominent and accessible manner therefrom, enabling the several adjustments to he made quickly and accurately, and in a very easy manner.

It will also he observed that by turning the knob k2 on the driving-spindle WL the workholder may be quickly advanced or returned to any point, enabling thestitching to be commenced or continued from any part of the button-hole, and as the cam 'm is loose on the spindle, the aforesaid movement of the workholder may be made without moving the cam.

It will he observed that the intermediate shaft, p, is placed slightly eccentric to the ratchet feed-wheel l, which drives it, and that this shaft has a crank-disk, p2, at its driven end, having a diametric crank-rib, 103,0u itsface, which is engaged by a slotted or forked crank-boss,l,on the side of the ratchet-wheel, as seen best in Figs. 4, 5,7, and l0. The shaft p is thus driven by a variable crank, which causes the rotation of its driving-pinion p', the gear-wheel r, and change-cam s to be quickened at certain points, and as the pinion p is half the diameter of the crank-wheel "f, the rotation of this crank-wheel will he accelerated at each halfrevolution thereof. Now, these parts are so arranged that these fast motions occur when the crank r' of the wheel T is passing its dead-points at each end of the buttonhole, and when the inclines of the change-cam come into action to shift the stitching from one side of the button-hole to the other, so that the increase of speed at each end of the cra-nks throw, Where its feed motion would be otherwise slow, causes the work-holding slide to he fed with practically uniform speed at all points, thus renderingthestitching uniform all around the button-hole.

mechanism of this attachment capable of perfeet and easy adjustments, butall the motions are effected automatically and in a positive manner, and all within a compact space.

It may be further observed that my present attachment is distinguished from most pre- -vious ones, in that the several sliding plates are each actuated -independently by a train of mechanism which isimpelled from one sourceviz., the pitman g and its actuated pawl-arm which renders the construction more simple and compact and the action more direct and positive. On the other hand, in most former attachments the power is applied to the plates from distinct sources or from one plate to another.

In the Patent No. 252,052, before mentioned, dated January 10, 1882, it may be seen that the feed motions and change motions are produced by mechanism somewhat similar to that shown in the present case-viz., by a reciprocating pawl acting on a ratchet-wheel, which ratchet-wheel is eccentrically connected by a crank to a pinion which gears into a wheel twiceits diameter,which wheel drives the workholding slide by a crank, and the shaft of said It may now be observed that not only is the l Wheel is provided with a cam to produce the change motion. In this former attachment, however, these parts are placed in a recumbent position or flatwise on the base-plate, whereas in my present device they are raised above the base-plate and placed in parallel positions, which renders the constructionmore compact. It may be further observed that,in lieu of employing a connecting-rod to drive the work holding or feeding slide from the crank feed- Wheel, the slide in the present device is formed with a rigid upright, which isl actuated directly bya crank-pin projecting from the wheel and free to slide on the upright, which has Ithe advantage of both directness and simplicity.

It will be readily understood that, in-lieu of employing positive pawls n 'a' acting on positive ratchet-teeth, friction pawls or clutches acting on friction-rims may he used with substa ntially the same effect.

Vhat I claim as my invention is- The combinatiomwith a button-hole workholder, two wheels, and means for rotating said wheels step by step, of mechanism forimparting from one of said wheels momentary to-andfro transverse movements to the workholder, and for imparting from the other of said wheels tothe work-holder step-by-step lengthwise toand-fro movements, and transverse movements in opposite directions at the two end parts of said lengthwise movements, substantially as described. y

2. The eombii1ation,with abutton-hole workholder, three slides carrying the work-holder, and two wheels adapted to be rotated step by step, of mechanism for impart-ing from one of said wheelsto one of said slides momentary toand-fro movements transverse to the lengthwise direction of the work-holder, and for imparting-from the other of said wheels to another of said slides step-by-step movements to and fro in the lengthwise direction ofthe workholder, and to the other of said slides short movements transverse to and in opposite directions at the two end parts of said lengthwise movements, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a button-hole workholder,two ratchet-wheels, Z m', two pawls, an', and a driver, t', adapted to be moved to and fro and carrying both of said pawls, of mechanism for imparting from one of said ratchet-wheels, m', transverse reciprocating movements to the work-holder, and for imparting from the other ratchet-Wheel to the Work-holder lengthwise toand-fro movements, and transverse movements in opposite directions at the two end parts otl its said lengthwise movements, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the feed slide f, -change-slide e, main slide d, two ratchet-wheels,

two driving-pa'wls, and a driver, i, adapted to be moved to and fro and carryingthe two pawls, of mechanism for imparting from one of the ratchet-wheels reciprocating movements to the main slide, and for imparting from the other ratchet-Wheel to thefeed-slide to-and-frolength- IOC.

IOS

IIO

4 :wares wise movements, and to the change-slide movements transverse to the feed slide at the end parts ot' the lengthwise movements of the latter slide, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the base a., main slide d, cam m, and the ratchet m', furnishedv with a driving-pawl, n', and havinga horizontal axis mounted on said base,of the lever 'm2, connected at one end to said base and engaging at its other end with said cam, and the rod m3, connected to slide d and to lever m2 by adjusting devices, substantially as described.

- 6. The combination, with the work holder, ratchet l, and means for imparting lengthwise to-and-fro movements to the work-holder from said ratchet, of a driving -.pawl, n, means for moving that pawl to and fro along two or more teeth ot' the ratchet, a ratchet guard, o, and means for adjusting thelatter along the ratchet, substantially as described, so as to cause the pawl to engage with the ratchet d nring a greater or less part ot' each forward movement of the pawl, and thereby regulate the lengths ot' the lengthwise steps imparted from the ratchet to the work-holder.

7. The combination, with the change-slide e and main slide d, ot' the cam s, having a horizontal axis mounted on the main slide, lever s', connected at one end to slide d and engaging at the other end with cam s, and rod s2, connected with the changeslide and with lever s by adjusting devices, substantially as described.

8. Thecombination,withabutton-holeworkholder and the feed-slide j', parallel to the lengthwise direction of and carrying the workholder, ot' the standard j" on the feed slide,

wheel r, having a horizontal axis and a crankpin engaging with said standard, and means for rotating wheel fr by numerous steps, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, with the feed slide j, having the standardf, and change-slide e, earrying the feed-slide, of the wheel r, having a horizontal shaft and a crank-pin engaging with said standard, cam s on said shaft,and means for'imparting movements to the change-slide from said cam, substantially as described.

l0. The combination, with the `feed-slide f, having the standardj", and the wheel r, having a crank-pin engaging with said standard, of a pinion engaging with said wheel and having' just ,haltl as many teeth as the latter, and a driving wheel, l, having its axis eccentric to the axis of said pinion and connected therewith by a sliding crank connection, substantially as described.

11. In a work-feeding attachment. for sewingmachines, the combination, with a driving-pitman,g, of a clasp adapted to be secured to theA machines, the combination, with a clasp adapt! ed to be secured on the needle arm ot' a sewing-machine, and a driving-arm, z', adapted to be vibrated on a horizontal axis, of' the rod g, connected with said clasp and driving-arm by universal joints, substantially as set forth.

JOS. P. HALLENBEOK.

l Witnesses: WM. M. HOUSE, H. L. PHELPS. 

